GAJAR KA HALWA

INTRODUCTION : -

Gajar (Carrot) ka halwa (Pudding) is probably one of most popular traditional desserts. Gajar ka halwa is a specially prepared in winter.

INGREDIENTS :-

- Gajar (Carrot) crushed: 1 kg

- Milk: 3 Cup

- Illaichi (Crushed): 1 tbsp

- Sugar: 4 tbsp

- Ghee: 9 tbsp

- Roasted Cashews.

- Powdered Cardamom

PROCEDURE :-

Step 1. Wash, peel and grate the carrots. I used the medium blade in the mandoline to grate.

Step 2. Place a wide-mouthed, heavy-bottomed vessel in Medium-High heat. [Wide-mouthed vessel so that the carrots get cooked fast and uniform. This way you can save gas, time and energy. I did not have a wide-mouthed vessel. Used my pressure cooker]. Add 4 tbsp ghee.

Step 3. Add the shredded carrots into the ghee and mix well.

Step 4. Fry until the carrots turn pale. Compare picture below. Do you see the color difference in the carrots? Carrots have turned pale which means they won’t have raw smell. You’ll now feel a kind of sweet smell from the carrots. This process takes around 10 minutes. Add the milk.

Step 5. Use 3 cups of milk. i.e. enough milk to submerge the carrots so that they get cooked well in the milk. Allow the milk to boil. Takes 5 minutes.

Step 6. Let the carrots get cooked well in the milk. The carrots should drink in all the milk. This will take 20-30 minutes. Stir the content from time to time to prevent scorching.

Step 7. Once the milk is completely drunk, add in the sugar. Mix well. Reduce flame to Medium. Once sugar is added, the content tends to liquefy. Need not alarm. Stir at regular intervals. We need to wait until the mixture turns thick. This will take around 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile work on Step 8 and 9.

Step 8. Place a small wok in medium flame. Roast the cashews will 1 tsp. ghee. When the cashews turn golden, turn off stove and remove the cashews from wok.

Step 9. I like to have my cashews broken. If you prefer to have it whole, please do. Remove seeds from one cardamom pod and powder it.[If you have readymade cardamom powder use 1/4 tsp.]

Step 10. So where were we? Yeah, we were waiting for the sugar to get thick. See, the carrot mixture became thick. Now, add the remaining ghee/clarified butter (4 tbsp.)

Step 11. Add the roasted cashews and powdered cardamom. Mix them well.

Step 12. Cook the halwa stirring occasionally until the added ghee separates out. This takes 10 more minutes. [Do not wait for the halwa to become thick. 10 minutes after adding ghee should be enough. The right consistency is when you mix the mixture, it should stir together forming a mass.]


Serve the Carrot Halwa hot, preferably warm. [Once the Halwa reaches room temperature pack them in a container and you can refrigerate. Take time to read the tips on garnishing and serving below.]